A levels 2023 - Results day and beyond

[HereWeGo2023]

Hi all. I thought I’d make a new thread as the countdown one is filling up.
Results day is here and I’m sure we will all value each others support, today and for the next stage of their journeys.

DS just got his grades. Offer was AAA, it’s in clearing at ABB and he got BBB. He’s surprised they still accepted him but I think maybe this year is a massive readjustment away from expecting all kids to get As.

Admissions people DH spoke to for work earlier in week said marking was all over the place - some subjects were marking hard and they expect many universities even top ones to drop tariffs it's why they were expecting busy day at his uni is sort of bottom middle ranking.

DD1 grades were a mixed bag - one subject they said she could easier get higher grade in dropped a grade instead to one lower than needed- one was expected and one she thought was terrible held at one grad lower than needed though welsh bac would have been accepted for that one anyway.

She got what she needed to get to next step though - overall positive - but nowhere near what they gave as predicated grades to universities when she was applying.

I'm so sorry this has happened. It might also be worth considering retaking exams if he's thinking of a gap year anyway.

Are the school any good/offering any support?

Not good news here at all. Lots of tears and now on phone to clearing. I think gap year and resits are the way to go. My heart aches for her to see her so upset.
Well done to all those who got the results needed.

Congrats to all who made their offers and hope all works out for those who didn’t.

DD made her offer for Cambridge and was only a few marks off to total possible score for her chosen subject so is feeling more confident than she has felt for ages.

We are off to Dunelm as the post result ‘what do we do now’ feeling is odd.

I'm so sad for her. Sending love. It just seems so cruel it's all down to a set of exams to determine their future X

@Postapocalypticcowgirl thanks. I've emailed the school and not sure who to get in touch with the uni.

So sorry @Lowther . This seems to have been an exceptionally tough year for marking. I guess the government thought the kids had it too easy having to teach themselves their GCSEs for the better part of 2 years 🙄

Hope it all works out for your DD, either with a great clearing place or a resit/gap year.

If you phone their clearing line or general enquiries, they will be able to put you in touch with the right person.

You may have a bit of a wait, but it's probably the easiest thing to do. Even if you've got a name where you could find a direct line, they may be very busy today, so clearing can at least direct you to someone who's available to help.

Exactly the same for DS. The subject I almost expected him to get a B in (Geography, one of the papers he said was horrific!) he somehow got an A but the subject he was so confident in getting an A in he got a B, very strange!

So sorry to read this. There do seem to be a lot of unexpected results next year.

Is there anyone in at her school today who she could chat to? E.g. head of sixth form, form tutor etc?

I’m so sorry, that’s so hard

My DD has got in to the course she wanted. She only got her grades on her results sheet. Have some people got their actual marks? Don't know whether to contact the school.

If you scroll down here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/education-66454164
you'll see some bar charts showing that A and Astar are indeed on average back to 2019 levels (not below).

The unis obviously didn't trust this would actually happen so maybe offered high knowing they could then let more in. If they had offered low they would have ended up with too many students if the percentages hadn't dropped as promised.

From school DS got a statement of results with both the grades and the marks on @Zingy123

This was me a long (long) time ago. A level results day was one of the worst days of my life, at the time. It was hard to see friends celebrating about going off to uni too whilst I enrolled at a different local college to do resits. I felt like a failure and like I'd never get back on track.

However, many positives followed. I enjoyed my resit year, made loads of new friends at the new college, also people who were previously just acquaintances from my old 6th form, but hadn't gone straight to uni like me became really good friends too. We sort of banded together.

I did well in my resits and had a much better choice of options. By then, the uni I had previously set my heart on I wasn't so keen on any more, having seen it up close when visiting friends who'd started there whilst I was doing resits. I chose a completely different uni to the one I originally thought I wanted and had an absolute blast, the perfect uni experience from start to finish. It all turned out great in the end, but on the original A level results day, it was as if the sky had fallen in. Just to offer hope that things can turn out OK in the end.

Lowther this happened to my friend's DD. She ended up at a uni she hadn't even considered studying something totally different. Three years on, she's actually glad it went that way as she was at a great uni and really enjoyed her course.

The wait is over. Bath spa here she comes! I'm very proud!!

Well I feel like we can finally move on and think about next steps.

She needs to keep an eye out for the accommodation email and has 2 days to accept and pay £200 deposit.
Will set up a student bank account.
And will sort out the paperwork needed for her scholarship fee reduction.

Then I need to get dd1 to go through her under bed boxes of uni stuff and take out things that are her own things for us to see what remains and what we need to get for Sept for dd2.

She will be 2 hours away from home compared to 4 for her insurance place, which I'm glad about. And much easier for her to get home on the train when she wants to too.

I am so sorry for your DC. The most important part going forward is getting to the root cause of her panic.

I would personally advise my daughter, if she was in a similar situation to take a year or two out and work out the emotional issues first. But the right decision might be different for your DC.

My DS got CCE. He's somehow got an offer for his insurance place for next September but I don't really want him to go. He didn't work for his A Levels. He was predicted much higher grades and his results reflect his effort levels. He is fine but I know he can sense my disappointment and I feel terrible about that.

Sorry to hear this @aleC4 - I’m passed this stage tank god but I remember the feelings when DC didn’t do that well but reading other (rightly) joyous parents whose DC had done great. Neither of mine got great results and both went the long way round doing night classes, work experience and access to Uni courses. One is now doing really well in logistics and supply chain and one is doing their law training having done a law degree. I hope things come good for your DS 🤞❤️

My dd is going to uea too. She can't
wait x

DD is on her way to her firm choice at Durham, but is another with surprising grades. Predicted A star A star A, ended up with A Star BB (needed AAB). Her favourite and best subject dropped from A* to B. Bit traumatic as she got her grades first, shook her head 'it's not good'. Then checked UCAS and couldn't believe her acceptance. Burst into tears.

Very subdued scenes at her (v academic indie) school. However, all her friends have got into their firms from what she's heard so far.

I think there is nothing to lose contacting them.
As you can see from this thread unis are dropping grades all over the place, so maybe the apprenticeship will too. No harm in trying.

What's the alternative if he doesn't go to uni this year? If his insurance have let him in, they must feel, within the national context, he'll do okay on the course? And he must have liked it to an extent to put it as his insurance?

I think unless there's a concrete plan B which he is committed to, going to uni might be the least bad option?